The Sweetest Fruit
by Miss Luna
Summary: Queen Garnet is in over her head with a forbidden love and a marriage that shouldn't be. Can she handle her personal affairs along with an unavoidable war? Will she make the right decision for her country?
1. Chapter 1

**The Sweetest Fruit**

**-Chapter 1-**

The orange light of dawn spread out over the land of Alexandria. People responded to it as always, yawning and waking from their safe and relaxed slumber. There was no more war, no more poverty, it was just a glorious time under the rule of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. People began to come out of their houses and get to their jobs. They were content, and very pleased with their Queen. It was because of her that the war ended, and the horror that was their lives was no more. She ended their pain and misery, so they could go on living peacefully as they did. For this, they were eternally grateful.

The Queen was extremely careful with her actions in order to maintain this peace. She did not want to bring the harm to her country that her mother did. However, Queen Garnet is not completely void of all sin.

"Your Highness, it is seven in the morning, I am here to wake you to the new glorious day."

"Ugh . . . thank you, Bruce, you may go," Garnet said from under the covers of her soft, warm, and welcoming bed. Another day had once again disturbed the little sleep that she got.

"Very good, ma'am," Bruce said, before silently shutting the door. He would have to return in another half hour to wake her up again.

Garnet sat in her bed leaning against her pillows. She looked around her room with a satisfied smile. She had everything she could ever want, except the duties of being a Queen. She hated being Queen. It's not like she could get out of it, though. So, here she was, ruling the country after her amazing, once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Garnet began to think of her old friends for a moment, but the thought was gone in an instant as she remembered her duties.

Garnet got out of bed and began to dress for the day. She was seeing several important world leaders that day. Sometimes she felt intimidated by this. However, she just reminded herself that she was a much more important world leader than all of them combined. This gave her strength to go on.

Not only did that give her strength, but so did one other thing. This gave her the most strength of all. Whenever she felt alone, or nervous, or like she just wanted to crawl into a hole, she remembered this, and she was given enough strength to finish the day with her head held high.

This was love. This was a love that was forbidden. A love that, if anyone found out, would ruin herself and her country. A love that was dangerous, but was necessary for her to keep going on. A love that kept her going no matter how fragile or weak she felt against the world.

After all, it's not easy for an eighteen-year-old to be Queen of the most powerful nation in the world.

"You have to leave, you know," Garnet said playfully once she was fully dressed.

Zidane Tibal's head popped out from under the covers. "Oh come on, you know you want me to hang around if it gets extra boring," he said.

"Yes, but it's especially dangerous for you to be here today. If anyone were to find out, well, I don't know what I would do," Garnet said, losing her playful look.

"It's not unheard of for a Queen to have a male concubine," Zidane said, crawling on her bed up to where she was standing.

"No, it's not, but it's unheard of for a Queen to be having sex with a thief," Garnet said, pushing her hands through his hair. Zidane grabbed her around the waste and pulled her back onto the bed. She laughed and looked into his blue eyes. He smiled as he always did: as if none of the world mattered, as long as they were together. Try as she might, she could never say no to him when he looked at her like that. He pressed his body up against hers and kissed her long and passionately. Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, the best queen Alexandria had ever had, was having an affair with a thief, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her.

The doorknob turned and the door slowly began to open. Zidane, trained in what to do in this sort of situation, scampered under the bed. Garnet jumped out of bed and tried to straighten her hair as best she could.

Bruce stood in the doorway, gave his best surprised expression and said, "Your Highness, you are awake."

"Yes, Bruce, I am. Please, when are our guests arriving today?" Garnet asked, catching her breath as quietly as possible.

"They will arrive at eleven, in time for lunch," Bruce said. He didn't even seem like he knew what he said in his monotonous voice.

"Thank you. You may leave."

"Very well, ma'am," and with that, Bruce closed the door behind him.

Garnet collapsed onto the bed with relief. Zidane poked his nose out from under the sheets.

"Is it safe?" Zidane asked.

"Yes, you can come out," Garnet said quietly. Zidane crawled over to her once again and looked at her sadly.

"What is it?" Garnet asked.

"You'd think you'd be used to close calls like that by now," he said. He looked at her with a worried look that bothered Garnet.

"Stop looking at me like that, I'm as fine as an eighteen-year-old Queen can be," she said. She smiled as best she could through all the stress that was piling up in her life.

"And a gorgeous one at that," Zidane said. He laid his head in her lap. She sat up, propped herself up with one arm and stroked his hair with the other.

"Do you really enjoy being the Queen?" Zidane asked.

"No, I don't," Garnet answered honestly. Zidane sat up and, in an effort to console the love of his life, put his hand on her face, stroking her cheek lightly with his thumb. Garnet closed her eyes and put her hand on his. It pained Zidane to see Garnet so stressed out, and he wished he could do something to help her.

"Quit." Zidane said.

"What?" Garnet asked startled. She pushed him off and stood up, looking at him with utmost shock.

"You heard me," Zidane said quietly and seriously. There was no playfulness in his eyes anymore.

"Zidane, you know I can't just quit," Garnet said, barely above a whisper. Oh, how she wishes she could though. Every morning, she thinks about grabbing Zidane and jumping out the window with him, never to be seen again. They could make it look like she was kidnaped, or murdered. She didn't care, as long as she could be with him.

But she did care, a lot, for her country.

"I'm worried about you, Dagger," Zidane said. Oh, he used her old name.

"Zidane . . . "

"Dagger . . . "

"Zidane, you know I would love to just go up to Beatrix and say, 'I quit!' but I can't," Garnet said.

"Why not?" Zidane asked as if it were an easy decision.

"Because I have a responsibility to my country, a concept you, obviously, do not understand!" Garnet exploded. She intended to keep going with her defense, but before she could finish, Zidane jumped onto her and they were both on the floor, kissing, forgetting everything.

It was a quick kiss though, because before Garnet could return it he was out the window with a fleeting smile to her before disappearing behind the ledge, going back to his life. Zidane's life, how Garnet wished she could just go with him. He was unpredictable, carefree, and didn't think twice about the consequences of his actions. He took life day-by-day. Garnet missed that life so much. There was nothing she could do about it, however, so she just accepted her own life and moved on.

Garnet opened the doors to her bedroom and walked down toward the conference room, where her guests would be waiting for her. She was about to enter the room, then realized she should check herself over once more to make sure she looked nice. She walked back to her room and checked herself in the mirror, making minor adjustments to her hair and clothes. Satisfied, she walked back down to the conference room and, once again, was about to enter before she realized that she would need the information on Alexandria's economic state for the meeting. So, once again, she went back to her room and retrieved them.

Just as she was about to enter the conference room the second time, she was stopped, again, by her advisor, Jack Norall.

"Your Highness, may I have a moment?" Jack asked.

"Certainly, but a quick one, I am already late," Garnet said annoyed.

Jack pulled Garnet off to his office and shut the door. He looked at her sternly. Once Garnet had become the Queen, Jack had taken her in, almost as a daughter. If it wasn't for him, the country would be in a peril. Jack was humble and very loyal, always insisting that he just gave suggestions that Garnet used to the best of her ability. Garnet trusted him with her life.

"Garnet, when you took up the throne, you were 17. Now, one year later, you are a beautiful eighteen-year-old woman leading a very paternal country," Jack started. Garnet tensed up. She had known this was coming, but had not imagined it would come so soon.

"Now, I understand your mother ruled without a husband, but that was when, she was . . . well anyway, my point is, it is time for you to look for a husband," he finished quickly.

"Are you sure it would be wise to search for one so soon?" Garnet asked. She wanted to stall this as long as possible. Zidane's face popped into her mind and she felt an ache in her heart.

"Quite. As much as the country loves and respects you and your authority, they would feel much more comfortable if there was a man at your side to guide you," Jack said.

"But I have you!" Garnet said exasperated. "You are more than qualified to help me rule the country, as you have for the past year."

"Garnet," Jack said affectionately in his fatherly tone, "you know I am not royalty and will not do. No, you are simply going to have to find a husband from either Burmecia--"

"No, I refuse to be married to a rat!" Garnet said.

"Garnet!" Jack looked around nervously, hoping that no one heard. "You are acting like a brat, and not at all like the Queen of Alexandria. Sit up!" he demanded. Garnet did as she was told. "That's better. Now listen. Here are your options: King Gid of Burmecia, Quale of Qu's Marsh, King Tot of Treno, and Regent Artania II of Lindblum."

Garnet made a face, but sat quietly in her chair, appearing to be thinking about her options.

Jack began to pace around the room, waiting for Garnet to make up her mind. He was not sure on what to do. He only wanted Garnet to be happy, but he knew that if she were to marry any of these men she wouldn't be. However, for the country it was necessary for her to marry. It was also necessary for her to marry if she wished to keep the Alexandros lineage on the throne. There was not much choice for a Queen in her position but to marry, grin, and bear it.

Garnet was thinking the same things, however, she had one more thing on her mind: Zidane. She was in love with Zidane, how could she lie to a man's face at the altar, practically saying goodbye to Zidane at the same time. She couldn't hurt him like that. No, she couldn't hurt herself like that, either . . . .

"Slim pickings," Garnet said, not caring what Jack would say to her racist remarks.

"Quite," he said, to her surprise. "I would not recommend Quale, for he is getting on in years."

"Yes, he was never sane to begin with, anyway. I could never marry King Tot, he is an old and dear friend," Garnet said, disgusted at the very thought.

"I agree. Besides, our relations with Treno are fine. I strongly suggest King Gid for that very reason. Burmecia is barely our ally and they are a powerful nation. If we were to ever be at war, they would be a very powerful ally with their strong army," Jack explained.

"What about Regent Artania II?" Garnet asked.

"He would be a wise choice as well. He is the son of Minister Artania, and a very wise man. That's the very reason Regent Cid left his throne to him. However, Lindblum is already a fine ally, I still strongly suggest King Gid," Jack insisted.

"Alright, well, I will think about it. If you will excuse me, however, I am now very late for my meeting," Garnet said, exasperated with the whole situation.

She left the room. As she walked down the hall, she felt tears in her eyes, but she ignored them. Queens don't cry. No, Queens don't express any emotion that they are not allowed to express. Queens are to do what is best for the country, even at the cost of their own feelings. However, Garnet wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do this. Could she deny her true feelings for the sake of her country?

She shoved these thoughts to the back of her mind, and opened the door to her meeting. She was a Queen, not a child. She would handle this matter as a Queen would: later.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFIX, it's characters, or the rights to it. This is merely a story based on Square-Enix's game.

**A/U:** See website.


	2. Chapter 2

**-Chapter 2-**

"Your Highness, excuse me, Queen Garnet?"

Garnet snapped out of her daze to look at Regent Artania II. He was a strong young man, about 3 years older than herself, with short blonde hair and dazzling amber eyes. The Regent was boasted as being a man of all business. He was very bright and quick on the uptake. Although Garnet usually enjoyed her time with him, today her mind was elsewhere.

"I'm sorry, Regent Artania, please forgive me," Garnet said apologetically.

"That's quite alright. Didn't get enough sleep last night, did you?" he said understandingly.

"You know me too well," Garnet said with a smile. "So, where were we?"

"I was just discussing Lindblum's current economic status. Right now, our theater district is not doing so well. Apparently their best actor is taking a break and because of that, their plays and attendance have suffered. However, our industrial district is flourishing, so we are left with no progress, but no downfall either," Regent Artania concluded. There was a quiet murmuring amongst the leaders about this information.

"What about your military?" Gid asked suddenly, interrupting everyone there.

"Our what?" Regent Artania asked, confused.

"Your military, Regent Artania, what is the status of your military?" Gid repeated. There was nothing pleasant about the tone of his voice, and the mood of the room suddenly darkened as everyone turned to look at him. Garnet felt a chill run up and down her spine as she looked into his cold gray eyes. How could Jack even suggest she marry this heartless rat?

"I'm sorry, King Gid, but I wasn't aware that we were talking about military affairs at this meeting. I'm afraid I am not prepared for such discussion," Garnet said as politely and dignified as possible.

"Nor am I. Perhaps we can set up a meeting some time next fall?" Regent Artania said hopefully. He was still recovering from the shift in the mood of the meeting.

"That won't do," Gid said simply.

"Excuse me, King Gid, but why is it so urgent that we discuss such matters?" Tot asked. The three world leaders were always very cautious around Gid. He had a look in his eye that told them all quite clearly that he was not to be messed with. They all suspected him of building up his military, even though it was explicit in their treaty from the last war that such activities were to be punished severely. They had no proof, however, so all they could do was be wary of their actions towards him and Burmecia.

"I'm just saying, you can never be too prepared," Gid said simply.

"I'm sorry, King Gid, but I do believe our treaty states that we agreed to not attack or bring harm to one another. We are all in agreement that we do not wish to bring the burden of another war upon our nations?" Tot said. Garnet and Artania both nodded, but Gid sat quite still, staring directly at Tot.

"What if one of us is to attack the other, however? What then? The others will be completely unprepared and it will be a slaughtering of innocent lives all over again," Gid said. His voice seemed to get more and more icy with every word he spoke. Garnet suddenly wished she was back in her warm bed snuggling with Zidane. She mentally smacked herself for going off track at such a time.

"King Gid, we assure you that this won't happen, our treaty--"

"Treaties don't mean a thing. They are just words on paper. I want proof that my country is safe from your racist people!" Gid spat.

"Racist? What are you implying Gid?" Artania asked.

"You know what I am talking about. I have here over 50 accounts of when my people were discriminated against in your countries because they were Burmecian! So while you all sit here and talk about your economic status, I worry for the safety of my people!" Gid slammed a large pile of papers on the table and stood up in a fury. Garnet tried to think quickly. She wanted to end this meeting as peacefully and quickly as possible.

"King Gid, I assure you that there will be an end to the discrimination as quickly as possible, but I'm afraid I do not understand. Why would there be such a shift in attitude towards Burmecians? People of all nations have always lived in harmony before," Garnet said. She chose her words carefully.

"I don't understand either, Queen Garnet. I was hoping you could tell me," Gid said through his teeth.

Everyone in the room was silent for quite awhile before the opening of the door snapped them from their trance. A Burmecian entered the room. He did not look at anybody, but walked directly to King Gid, where he whispered something in his ear.

"If you will excuse me, I have affairs to attend to else where. This has been a rather, _productive_ meeting," King Gid scoffed. He turned sharply and left the room.

Everyone was silent once again. No one knew what to say. Garnet was deep in thought. This probably meant that Burmecia was preparing for war. Anything could tip Gid over the edge to make him fire the first shot. Alexandria was not prepared for war at all because of the treaty. She and most of her fellow world leaders have followed the rules, but one hasn't and now her people were in jeopardy.

"So, back to Treno's economy. The auctions and card tournaments really bring in the tourists . . . ."

"JACK!" Garnet hollered in desperation once the meeting was over and the guests had left. She wandered around the castle for several minutes before she found him in the new study. He was sitting with his back to the giant window that was the entire length of the wall. Garnet didn't spend much in this room because all the books had been imported from her old summoners' village. They gave her the creeps.

"What is it, Your Highness?" Jack asked, looking up from his book.

"Burmecia is building up their army and they are planning an attack, soon." Garnet said panicked.

"Do you have any proof?" Jack asked simply. He took his glasses off and looked at her intently. He was trying to teach her a lesson about being a queen, Garnet knew it, but she didn't have time to play his games.

"Enough proof to satisfy. He insists on knowing about all the military affairs immediately. He talks about how his people are discriminated against, how if one of the countries bound to the treaty were to break it, the other countries would be in danger--"

"This isn't proof, Garnet," Jack said simply. He looked at her sternly.

"No, but it has to be. It's enough proof for me!" Garnet said desperately. She wanted to protect her people from those monsters. She had to do something, she couldn't just sit back and wait for her people to die before she did anything about it. She had to stop it before it happened.

"You need more proof than assumption to attack a nation. I'm sorry, I know that's what it seems like, but you can't simply go on what you think. You need good visual proof--"

"Will dead bodies be proof enough for you, then?" Garnet asked coldly. "When my people are dying in the streets because of an attack from Burmecia, will you have enough proof then?"

"Garnet this is a touchy subject, you are young and inexperienced--"

"I understand this, but I know what's best for my country," Garnet said angrily.

"Then you will marry King Gid?" Jack threw back at her. Garnet faltered, she wasn't sure of what to say.

"I see, so quick to go to war, but in affairs of love . . . ," Jack said.

"It's not so simple as that--"

"Garnet, you think you are being noble by going to war. You think you have it all planned out, that you are thinking only of your country. However, in your scenario, Alexandrians will die either way. Thousands of young men will be sent to their deaths if you wage war on Burmecia, a war whose purpose you are not even sure of. What if you're wrong, what then? Those lives have been wasted, and Burmecia will never be our ally ever again, we will have betrayed their already faltering trust," Jack spoke sharply. He was not being a father to Garnet anymore.

"You silly little girl, you think you know what you are doing because you ran around Gaia with a foolish, idiotic Genome for a year, but life is more than silly, teenage love. You must put your people before yourself. Do you want to solve this problem with Burmecia? Then offer peace to them by offering your hand in marriage to Gid, that is a wise solution."

Garnet was speechless. "I will . . . need some time to think over what you have said," she said slowly before leaving the room. She walked quickly up to her room. Once she got there, she slammed the door behind her and slid down to the floor, pushing her hands through her hair in sheer desperation.

Burmecia was going to attack her people, she knew it. If only she could get proof, but how was she going to do this? Sending spies in would be too risky, if they were caught, then this would start the war she was trying to avoid. As much as she hated to admit it, Jack was right. The only solution was marriage.

She looked up from her fetal position to see two big blue eyes looking back at her.

"Hello, Zidane," Garnet said quietly. Guilt panged in her heart as she thought of the Burmecian King and the unavoidable marriage.

"Still in the same shape as this morning, I see. Day didn't go to well, then, I take it?" he said, his smile never leaving his face.

"No, of course not," Garnet said. She got up and began to take off her heavy clothing. Zidane came over and began to help, kissing her softly on her neck every now and then. With each kiss, Garnet's heart hurt more and more. She could never say 'I do' to any other man. She loved Zidane with all her heart, there was no doubt about this. Lying to the world about her feelings couldn't possibly help anything.

Before she knew it, Garnet's feelings of worry and despair had melted away. She was with the one person in the world who could truly understand her feelings and help her through her pain. She forgot about how the world rested on her shoulders, how so many people expected so much of her, when she felt she could only do so little. Her life was to solely please the man she loved, and she intended on doing just that.

The sun slowly set on the horizon, ending another day for Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th. She watched the last glimmers of the sun as they lit the city. As the sun set, so did the consequences of her actions. She began to realize what the consequences of being with Zidane could mean to herself and her people if they were found out. However, when she looked away from her people, at Zidane's face, she couldn't see herself making any other decision.


End file.
